Always Look On The Bright Side of Life.

I always look on the bright side of life and stay optimistic, vital if you are a person with a disability let alone a disabled athlete. Anyway, I believe that how you define yourself is how you confine yourself. Self belief is always important.

Training has been going really well, though I still feel a bit heavy and slightly overweight. That is something I will put right over the next few months as my training schedule intensifies as we get towards the new season. I'm feeling very optimistic at the moment because I did a track session on Monday and it went very well, and my roadwork continues apace.

I had to go to Hertford hospital today to have some x-rays done and it was a strange experience to see all the curves in my spine but don't you dare to call me bent.

The most exciting news has been my being re - appointed as a Team Essex Ambassador and getting another award to keep me going in the coming season. I feel very privileged and it means I can travel abroad to compete, vital if I am to get the times I need to qualify for the World Championships later this year. I'm also grateful for the opportunity to interact with young people because they are the future. A huge thank you to all those people who have shown the confidence in my ability to compete on a world stage. There is to be an Awards Ceremony at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Stanstead on Monday February 1st and I'm really looking forward to attending because it gives me an opportunity to 'glam up' and look my best. Usually I'm to be seen sweating in a tracksuit on the cycle paths of Harlow! And, on that note, I'm off on the road again for a 6 mile steady push today. I'll be back.

Free At Last.

I managed to finally get back out onto the road again today and it felt fantastic to be out pushing long distance again. Mind you, I couldn't take my usual route because the police had cordoned part of it off for some reason so I had to find another route. Thankfully, Harlow is blessed with lots of cycle paths so it wasn't too difficult. I'm just hoping the bad weather stays away so I can get right back into my usual routine.
Last night I went to the track at Mark Hall Sports Centre and did some much needed track work. I was exhausted when I finished but had that lovely feeling of self satisfaction that I had achieved something. I'm feeling really positive about the coming season, which kicks off with a half - marathon at Silversone in March which I'll be doing to raise money and awareness for one of the charities I support, AbleChild Africa.
Talking of charities something exciting is going to happen in the next month or so. Watch this space!

Snow Go Area Part 2.

The past couple of weeks have been extremely frustrating because the heavy snow and awful weather has meant that I haven't been able to get out onto the road for some serious distance training. That's the part of my sport I really love, pushing myself to improve after every session and a nice warm glow of satisfaction when I finish my 10 miles. Oh well, no point moaning about it because the weather is something none of us can control. If I had the money I would return to Kenya for some warm weather training. That would be lovely, but no point in day dreaming either.I'ts back to the gym for another heavy session on the rollers, like a treadmill for wheelchairs that really works the muscles.

Last night,Wednesday, I was invited to speak to Saffron Walden Rotary Club. There were only two women in the room and one of them was me! Ooooh, all that attention from the men. Anyway, I told them about how I survived polio as a child in Kenya and the stigma attached to it, and also how I have never let it stand in the way of my pathway to success. They seemed to like what I said and they gave me a nice bouquet of flowers to show their appreciation. The Rotarians are working really hard on a fantastic programme to eradicate polio from the world and every year in February the have 'Purple Pinkie' week to raise funds for their vaccination programme. Bill Gates is a strong supporter and has donated a lot of his personal wealth to the project. Good on him! I was also amazed to learn from their magazine that Mia Farrow is also a polio survivor.